This application relates to a hollow fan blade for a gas turbine engine.
Gas turbine engines may be provided with a fan for delivering air to a compressor section. From the compressor section, the air is compressed and delivered into a combustion section. The combustion section mixes fuel with the air and combusts the combination. Products of the combustion pass downstream over turbine rotors which are driven to rotate and in turn rotate the compressor and fan.
The fan may include a rotor having a plurality of blades.
One type of fan blade is a hollow fan blade having a plurality of channels defined by intermediate ribs in a main fan blade body. An outer skin is attached over the main fan blade body to close off the channels. The blades are subject to a number of challenges, including internal stresses that vary along the length of the fan blade.
It is known to include stiffening filler materials into the channels. The stiffening materials may be honeycomb, corrugated or metal foam.